Distilling and rectifying apparatus.



PATENTED DEC. 4. 1906v u. LORBNTZ. DISTILLING AND RBGTIFYING APPARATUS.

AHLICATION FILED SEPT. 14.1906.

'21 g z f 1 WITNESSES INVENTOH UPTON LORENTZ ATTORNEYS UPTON LORENTZ, OF CRISTOBAL, CANAL ZONE, PANAMA.

DlSTlLLlNG AND RECTIFYING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 4, 1906.

Application filed September 14, 1906. Serial No. 334,613.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, UPTON LonnNTz, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cristobal, Canal Zone, isthmus of Panama, have invented an improved Distilling and Rectifying Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improved apparatus or distillin or rectifying alcoholic liquids, the process eing effected with great rapidity and economy.

In carrying out my invention I make use of lightly-burnt clay diaphragms or pertitions and also other media. formed of the same material for distributing and diffusing the rriash or mash liquor in the still-column, the porosity and rough surface of these parts being highly effective in producing the de sired separation of the aqueous and alcoholic elements. In genera terms, therefore, the apparatus is distinguished by two principal featuresnamely, a lar e aggregate amount of surface for the distribution and diffusion of the mash and by the porosity and roughness of such surface.

The details of construction, arrangement, and operation are as hereinafter described, and illustrated in'the accompanying drawingpfin'whichigure 1 1s niainl a sectional elevation of my improved disti hug and rectifyin epparatus. Fig. 2 is an enlar ed centrn vertical section of a. portion of the stillcolumn. Fi 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3 3 of ig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a referred form of distributing and dill using bars employed in the still-column.

A A A indicate a series of stills which are connected by pipes in a well-known manner, the u per one of the series bein connected wit 1 the still-column B. The owest still A is provided with a concave bottom to form a large heating-surface, and it is erably constructed of burnt clay. t is shown provided with a siphon a in the usual manner.

C indicates the mash-tub, and D econdenser which contains a coil (1. The condenser D is connected with the tub C by a pipe 1, and the coil d is connected by a pipe 2 with the still-column B in swell-known manner. Another pipe 3 extends from the to of the condenser to the top portion of the co umn B.

The body of the column B is preferably cylindrical in form, and 1t 18 constructed'ol ref burnt clay, the exterior being glazed and the interior unglazed, so that it has a certain degree of porosity. Within the column I arrange media for distributing and dillusin the mash which enters the column through the pipe 3. These media consist of diaphrnglus or partitions 4 5 and intervening or associated devices (3, which may have various forms, but are preferably constructed as illustrated in Fig. 4. The ertitions are preferably provided with pe erations, as shown, for the passage of small quantities of the mash. The diaphragms have a concave-convex form, and the same are alternately inverted. Thus the diaphra 4 is cut away at the center or a ex and t e concave side is up ermost an it rests upon a diaphragm 5, w iose apex projects into said opening. The truncated or lower end of the diaphregms 4 is provided with a series of notches 7 (see Figs. 2 and 3) to permit the flow of the mash from the concave surface of the diaphragms 4 upon and over the convex surface of the dia hragms 5. The concave side of the (lisp ragms 4 is provided with a spiral rib 8, extending from the peripher Y to the center, the function of the same cing to retard the flow of mesh and direct it in a spiral course in place of permitting it to flow directly and quickly downwinrd to. that aperturedi cepttltlr 3f til; die- 1 iriwm. T ie u or si e0 t e 'a s i5 is similar] pr d i ided with a spir l di g, which in lihe manner retards the direct downward flow of the mash and causes it to take a spiral course. The edges of the diaphragms 5 are provided with notches 10 in the some manner and for the same urpose as the notches 7 of the inverted diap irag'ms 4. Thus the diaphragrns 4 5 are arranged in the still and supported upon the lower most one and may e easily and quickly removed or the number increased or diminished, as conditions may require, the to of the still bein in practice made detachable.

A special ieature of my invention is the construction of the dia hragms 4 5 of lightlyburnt unglazed cla t e same having a. de

gree of porosity an roughness which greatly facilitates the distilling or rectifying operation.

Another feature of in invention is the use in the still-column B 0 other media for distributing and diffusing the mash,which are formed of the same material-to wit, lightly burnt unglazed clay. In the preferred form which is represented in Fig. 4 these media ward flow of mash and the minute distribuare in the nature of bars having radial longition or diffusion of the same is a rapid and tudinal flanges and provided with perforavery complete distillatin,so that it amounts tions to ermit the passage of the mash practically to rectification. In brief, by the liquor. hese are placed in the still, preferextreme diffusion of the descending li( uid, ably in parallel position, one restin upon owing to the roughness and porosity of the another, above, below, and between tie diasurface of the media over which it flows, phragms 4 5. The parallel position eeonodephlegmation occurs to ade ree which gives mizes space, and thus enables me to obtain a practically rectified s )irits direct from the maximum amount of surface for the distribumash and at one distil ing operation. tion and diffusion of the mash. The body of the still-column B being it- VVhen constructed as shown, my imtproved self constructed of burnt clay and the conapparatus is adapted for continuous istillatained media 4 5 6 being also of the same min tron-that is to say, an uninterrupted fiowterial, it is obvious that the same may be ing stream of fermented mash passes from very economically constructed. the tank or tub C through the pipe 1, the What I claim is condenser D, and the pipe 3 into the column 1. In a distilling apparatus a column com- B. Water having been supplied to the stills rising a hollow body formed of burnt clay AA A in requisite quantity and heat being raving a glazed exterior and an unglazed applied to the required degree, steam is geninterior surface and contained media for diferated, which advances through the column fusing and distributing all of the mash, the B and acts upon the descendin column of same being constructe of lightly-burnt unmash in such a way that the utter must glazed clay, substantially as described. yield its alcohol to the steam. The alcohol 2. In a distilling a paratus, a still-column being thus volatilized, the vapors pass over comprising a hollow fiody and contained disthrough the pipe 2 into the condensing-coil tributing and diffusing media, the same be- J, throu h which it is drawn off. The mash in formed of burnt un lazed or porous clay,

roper eing entirely deprived of alcohol su stantiall as set fort i. eaves the apparatus as spent mash. As in 3. A stil -column comprising a hollow the well-known forms of stills, the mash itself body, and contained media for distribution is utilized for cooling the coil d, and thus conand diffusion of the mash, which comprise denses the alcoholic vapors, effecting a dea series of diaphragms arranged one a iove sirable economy in the consumption of heat. another and adapted to deliver the mesh 5 It will be seen that the mash is so retarded,- from one to the other successively, the same distributed, and diffused in the still as to be being formed of burnt unglazed clay, subthoroughly exposed to the ascending steam stantially as described. and that, owing to the form of the media 4 5 6 4. In combination with the hollow body contained in the column and the porosity and of a still-column, a series of concave-convex 1 roughness of the same, the diffusion may be diaphragms or artitionsarranged one upon said to reach a maximum. In other words, another each a ternate dia hragm being inthe lightly burnt perforated porous unvetted with its concave si e uppermost and glazed diaphragms or plates together with the same bein formed of burnt unglazcd the bars 6, cause the descending mash to be clay, substantia ly as described. exposed in the thinnest stratum to the ascend- 5. The combination with the hollow body ing aqueous vapors, whereby distillation and of a still-column, of a series of concave-conractically rectification are rapidly effected. vex diaphragms, each alternate one being ach descending drop of the mash is, in fact, arranged with its concave side uppermost diffusedorspreadovertheroughsurfaceof the and its apex cut away and provided with no diaphra msorplates t5,and theothermediafi projections whereby it is adapted to receive arranged and associatedwith the diaphragms. and rest upon the underlying diaphragm The descending mash liquid is,in fact, held by whose apex projects into the opening of the diffusion and distribution in the intersticesor upper one, substantially as set forth. recesses of the roughened porous surface in 6. The combination with the hollow body I I 5 such manner as to come in contact directly of a still-column, of a diaphragm arranged and constantly with the ascendin steam, therein and formed of burnt unglazed clay, whereby the separation of the alco olic vathe same having its upper side provided with pors from the mash is effected more rapidl ribs for retarding the direct downward flow and economically than is practicable wit of mash, substantiall as described. smooth metallic plates or distributing media {TPTON LORENTZ.

which have been heretofore used. The re- Witnesses: sult attained by my improved a paratus in SOLON C. KEMON, consequence of the retardation 0 the down- Amos W. I'IABT. 

